Netflix and Chill
by the iz
Summary: Dean can't seem to stay away from Cas's netflix binge sessions, but things get a little too real when they watch 'Torchwood' and Dean accidentally ends up shipping them via Janto comparisons! Awkwardness ensues. Destiel with Janto discussion. Despite the title and the obvious opportunity, no smut or even almost-smut occurs in this fic... a failing on my part tbh. One-shot.
**Do I win an award for least original title ever? Haha not to mention misleading, the 'chill' is not a euphemism in this case. Sorry about that.
** **Doctor Who is my favourite show in the world (not even sorry, SPN is great but it doesn't compare) and I only got around to watching Torchwood on netflix very recently. Tbh Jack and Ianto (man I shipped them hard) didn't really remind me of Dean and Cas and Jack didn't really remind me of Dean, but Ianto did remind me of Cas a few times - the quiet sass and flat stares and blue puppy eyes oh yes - and that, coupled with the fact that netflix now always makes me think of Cas in early S11, was enough for me to write this ship comparison study of a fic. Sorry if the ending makes you want to punch me in the face, I'm not really one to write fluff when I could write sadness/angst/repression instead. Oops.  
** **If you haven't watched Doctor Who and Torchwood then you really should.**

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Dean pauses in the doorway, tossing a piece of popcorn into the air from the bowl in his hand and catching it in his mouth. He grins through the mouthful at the supine angel on the bed, who gives him a weary but fond smile before looking back at the TV screen.

Pleased that he didn't screw up the popcorn trick - he practiced it all the way from the kitchen, although he'd never admit it to anyone - the hunter wanders across to the bed, darting another look at Castiel before settling down next to him. He puts the popcorn bowl carefully between them, but it's wedged between their hips so he can still feel warmth, faint but distracting, coming from Cas. He grabs another handful of popcorn as he tells himself that he needs to be close enough to feel body heat and hear breathing, so that he can keep tabs on the angel's health. After all, Cas went through a really rough spell, literally. That's why Dean keeps coming in here and watching netflix instead of researching with Sam. Cas needs to be monitored. Dean is just doing his duty as a friend.

"So," he says casually, focusing on the TV. A pretty Asian woman is on the screen, looking stricken. Dean's interest is piqued. "What's on tonight?"

Cas grabs the remote from where it balances on his thigh and pauses the show before replying, turning slightly sideways to look at Dean. "I watched season one of 'Torchwood' while you were hunting today, and this is the second episode of season two. It's a spin off of 'Doctor Who'."

Dean frowns. "You finished 'Doctor Who' already?"

He doesn't want to admit it, but he was kind of getting into it. He only watched a few episodes of season two with Cas, late last night, but the chick in it was hot and, well, the dude in it wasn't bad either. Not that Dean would be interested in that factor. He came in on episode two but they stopped at the end of episode four because it was five in the morning and Dean fell asleep on Cas's shoulder. Cas didn't wake him, but he turned the TV off so that Dean wouldn't miss any. Dean was touched by the angel's thoughtfulness, but way too preoccupied the next day with the memory of waking up practically snuggled against Cas's side. He left Cas to carry on with 'Doctor Who' alone, hurrying off to go on a hunt with Sam. The hunt was only an hour away though; they were back in time for dinner. So here Dean is, back to pick up on what's happening in the world of the Doctor. Except Cas is watching this spin off instead. Dean shakes off the slight disappointment and tunes in as the angel replies.

"No, 'Torchwood' takes place after the end of season two of 'Doctor Who', so I watched season one of 'Torchwood' after I finished season two of 'Doctor Who' and then I realised that I needed to watch season three of 'Doctor Who' to be up to the same point as 'Torchwood' so I did that, and now I can watch season two of 'Torchwood' before I watch season four of 'Doctor Who'."

Dean stares blankly at Cas's serious face. "Um. OK. Cas, dude, you might be watching too much netflix."

Cas raises his eyebrows coolly. "Well, what do you suggest I do while I recuperate, Dean? What else can I pass the time with, stuck in this bedroom?"

Dean shifts nervously and stuffs some more popcorn into his mouth, looking away. He does not want to voice any of the suggestions his mind has just thrown at him. He certainly does not want to linger on any of the disturbingly clear images his imagination is conjuring up. Luckily, Cas continues, his question obviously having been rhetorical.

"You don't want me to hunt with you and you don't want me to wander where other angels may harm me. So I have to stay here, and while I'm here netflix is the easiest way to entertain myself, so-"

"OK, OK," interrupts Dean, rolling his eyes. "I get it. Sorry I breathed. 'Torchwood', then. What's it about?"

Thankfully, although Cas is far too talkative when he feels that Dean is being unfair to him, he's wonderfully succinct when it comes to summarising plotlines.

"Captain Jack Harkness was a friend of the Doctor's, a time-travelling human from the far future. He was made immortal at the end of season one and the Doctor abandoned him. He got back to Earth in the 19th century and eventually became involved with a secret team fighting against alien attack, called Torchwood. It collapsed and he rebuilt it. This show is about him and his team."

Dean munches some more popcorn and stretches out a bit more comfortably on the bed as he listens to the soft, husky rhythm of Castiel's voice. He's going to miss spending his evenings like this when Cas gets better and inevitably leaves. The thought is depressing and way too sentimental; Dean clears his throat and nods towards the woman on the screen.

"OK, so who is she?"

"Toshiko Sato. Member of Jack's team."

"Uh huh, and what's happening in this scene?"

Castiel tilts his head for a moment, thinking about it. "Torchwood were keeping a soldier from 1918, Tommy, frozen and waking him for a day every year. They were doing this because they knew they were going to need him at some point to help close a temporal rift. Over the past few years, Toshiko - often called Tosh - has developed feelings for Tommy. However, the time has come for him to close the rift and return permanently to 1918. Tosh is just asking Jack what will happen to Tommy, and he's telling her that Tommy will die in the war."

"Well, crap. No wonder she looks so bummed," remarks Dean, tearing his eyes away from Cas to glance back at the screen. "OK, play on."

Castiel nods calmly and turns to face the TV, pressing 'play'. Dean notes that Jack is pretty damn attractive and then feels pissed off at himself for even registering the fact. He tries to focus on the scene. Jack is explaining, Tosh is upset, Jack is pragmatic and adamant that Tommy's sacrifice is necessary. Dean decides that he likes Jack's character. He's had to make tough calls and lead frightened people too, and he identifies qualities in Jack that he values in himself.

The scene changes and it's two men standing at a table. Dean swallows some popcorn and asks: "Wait, so who are they?"

Cas swiftly pauses it again and Dean worries that he's being annoying, but Cas looks serene and patient as he turns to face the hunter again. "The man at the back is Tommy, the frozen soldier. The other man is Ianto Jones. He also works for Torchwood."

Dean catches the slight smile in Castiel's eyes as he mentions Ianto. "You like the Jones dude?"

Cas shrugs. "I think he reminds me of myself sometimes."

Dean is interested. Cas does this sometimes, compares himself to TV show characters, and it's always a fascinating insight into how the angel sees himself. Shifting to face Cas better, Dean probes: "Yeah, how?"

"I don't know, it's probably his role in the team. He's in the background a lot, behind the scenes, supporting the others. I often play that role to you and Sam. He's quiet and not very socially adept, like me, but he has complex emotional reactions that he doesn't always cope with very well, also like me."

Dean nods slowly, gazing at Cas, who stares right back at him. They stay like that for several seconds before Dean realises that he should respond somehow; forcing a grin, he glances at the image on the screen before returning his eyes to Cas. "Plus, you both wear suits and have stupid names."

Castiel sighs, but his eyes are twinkling in amusement. He murmurs agreement and turns back to the TV, as does Dean. Cas plays the show again, but Dean isn't really paying attention to it. He's thinking about what Cas said, about the angel being a background player in their little team. Well, OK, they do tend to leave Cas to his own devices a lot. But why shouldn't they? They're not his keepers. Still, Dean feels discomfited by Cas's words.

The scene changes back to Jack and Tosh. Dean decides that if Ianto reminds Cas of himself, Jack reminds Dean of himself too. Or more accurately, Jack is who Dean would like to think of himself as the most like. He seems like a strong leader, a sensible guy and he looks like he could be charming as hell if he wanted to. Dean grabs another handful of popcorn as he considers whether Cas would agree with him comparing himself to Jack. The scene changes again, and there are new people there, but Dean is no longer very interested. He leans towards Cas.

"Hey, no need to pause, but do any of the characters remind you of, uh, me?"

Cas glances sideways at him and then back at the screen. Dean is sure that the TV light is playing tricks on his eyes, but it looks as though Cas is blushing. After a long pause, Cas replies quietly without meeting his eyes: "Jack."

Dean grins in triumph, leaning back on the pillows and tossing another piece of popcorn into the air to catch in his mouth. He knew it. He turns his attention back to the show with a faint smile on his lips. The camera shows Ianto and Dean has to admit that there's another similarity there that Cas didn't mention; both angel and character are handsome and blue-eyed. Not that Dean finds that fact at all relevant.

Tosh and Tommy are back at Tosh's flat and taking forever to get to the goods. Dean rolls his eyes at the awkward conversation and sad faces. He's had enough 'last nights on Earth' to know that the sex is always made way better by the tense situation, so really, Tosh and Tommy are getting a win. Dean glances sideways at Cas and then looks away immediately, firmly cutting off any thoughts that link Cas with 'no regrets' sex. He's pondered that too many times before. Trying to distract himself, Dean speaks again.

"So you're Ianto and I'm Jack, huh? Are they friends on the show, or are we mortal enemies?"

He snorts as he says the last part, slipping some more popcorn past his quirked lips. Cas doesn't answer but Dean feels him shift restlessly beside him. As Tosh and Tommy finally kiss on the screen, Dean glances at Cas to see that yes, the angel is unmistakably blushing now. Dean frowns in confusion but shrugs it off. He's probably right, Ianto and Jack probably hate each other's guts and Cas probably thinks that Dean will be offended or something. He turns back to the screen to see that the scene has changed again, to Jack sitting at a desk. Ianto enters the room and Dean raises his eyebrows.

"Hey, nice timing. Guess I'm about to find out. Man, if they're about to fight then I reckon I'll win. You look like you spend most of your time filing papers or some crap, not throwin' punches."

He nudges Cas teasingly as he speaks but the angel remains silent. Probably just trying to watch the show in peace. Jack is speaking but Dean doesn't really pay attention to what he's saying, although Ianto seems to be listening intently, settling beside him on the desk. Dean speaks again, mostly because Cas's tense silence beside him is making him nervous.

"Aw, I guess we are friends after all..."

His voice dries up as Ianto suddenly swoops down and kisses Jack full on the lips. For a brief nanosecond he expects Jack to respond in shock or disgust, but Jack kisses Ianto back as though he was yearning for it, bringing his hands up and holding the other man in place. The kiss is passionate and desperate and clearly destined to end in desk sex, which Dean would normally approve of heartily. Instead, he watches the kiss with his mouth hanging open, feeling flabbergasted and thrilled and embarrassed and terrified all at once. Beside him, he can hear Cas exhale unsteadily.

The scene changes after what seems like forever but is only a few seconds. It's Tosh and Tommy in a state of post-coital contemplation, but Dean has lost all interest in the storyline. He realises that his fists are clenched in his lap and he releases them with some difficulty.

"Well," he manages to rasp after clearing his throat. He doesn't dare look at the angel beside him. "I guess I was wrong on both counts. Not enemies or friends."

Cas is still for another few seconds before he too clears his throat awkwardly. "No, not really either of those."

Dean shuts his eyes, mind racing. Cas must have known that Jack and Ianto were gay together. It explains his stilted behaviour after comparing himself and Dean to the characters. But why did he make the comparison in the first place? Dean tries to banish the oddly tantalising thought that Cas made the comparison precisely because the characters are an item of some kind, that he was trying to tell Dean something about their own real life relationship. That's stupid. It couldn't possibly be that. Dean opens his eyes and takes a deep, calming breath, ready to pass this all off as a dumb joke, when Castiel hits pause. There's a second of silence which is broken by his low voice.

"You know, Ianto really loves Jack."

Dean freezes, staring blankly at the similarly motionless TV screen. He opens and then shuts his mouth. Cas waits for a beat and then continues.

"He'd love him no matter what. Even if Jack didn't love him too. Even if Jack didn't want him, or like him or trust him. He'll always love Jack."

Dean nods slowly, still staring straight ahead. His heart is thundering in his ears. Cas is speaking in almost a whisper now.

"Jack doesn't have to say or do anything. He doesn't have to be anything. Except himself. That's enough, and Ianto will just... love him. That's all."

The silence ticks by after Cas says this and Dean swallows the sudden lump in his throat. He should say something meaningful and brave here, something that's been lurking in his heart and head for years, something that will never go away so why is he still expecting it to? He should just go for it. He should.

But he doesn't.

"Yeah, Cas. I know. Jack is a lucky guy. Go ahead and press play, yeah?"

Cas doesn't move for a moment but then he picks up the remote control and the show resumes. Dean forces himself to pay attention until the end of the episode, munching through handfuls of popcorn that he can barely taste. The credits roll and Dean has no idea what ended up happening in the story. He makes some inane comment about it being a good show as he scrambles off of the bed, avoiding Cas's gaze the whole time. It's only once he's standing, clutching the empty bowl in both hands, that he finally meets those sad blue eyes. They hit him like a blow to the head and he falters on his words, heart thumping.

"Goodnight, Dean," the angel murmurs, watching him closely. Dean nods.

"Goodnight, Cas."

He turns to leave and he doesn't look back, because he wants to stay far too much.

* * *

 **Yep sorry, that's where I'm leaving it because let's be real, Dean is selfish and a bit of a coward when it comes to Cas. Cas meant what he said though, so in the end he's more or less OK with the endless Deanial I reckon. More than I am, probably. Welp. Chuck (lol) us a review if you like!**


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